Mailbag: Parent disputes vaccination advice

However, I regret that the article was incomplete and extremely misleading. The article stated that "students in grades 7-12 will need to show proof of immunization against whooping cough or pertussis." The article continues on about Assembly Bill 354 that makes it sounds as if it is a law that all children must be vaccinated.

Furthermore it states, "They cannot start school without proof of vaccination." This is entirely incorrect and patently false.

I really do not fault your staff for rubber-stamping this information from the state Health Department, because most people believe it when someone says, "We are from the government, and we are here to help."

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Many good citizens know better, and fortunately in California, students and parents still have a choice to refuse vaccinations. Any parent may file an exemption form at their school and refuse this vaccine with its mercury and pertussis virus as well as any other vaccine.

This fact is clearly hidden and the truth of this "right of refusal" is downplayed and even put into a single sentence that does not really clearly reveal this fact.

For instance, in Northern California, my son received this notice and I called the school district demanding to know when the state had taken control over my son's body and the freedom of choice our family makes for our health.

The district nurse informed me that exemptions were still allowed and it was on the notice. Sure enough, after closer inspection of the notice saying, "Your child must be vaccinated or they can't come to school next year," I did see a single sentence that said, "The laws pertaining to vaccine requirements are still in effect."

This really got me going, as it is misleading and false to scare parents into getting on the vaccination train. The way that the right of choice is obfuscated and downplayed is serious and a dangerous health risk to all.

I spoke to the school board and the City Council when a criminally negligent Centers for Disease Control forced the swine flu pandemic to an unsuspecting public in a heavy media blitz. The Coastline Pilot reported on my actions and posted my rebuttal to some uninformed doctors who were trying to say vaccines are safe ("Sounding Off: Real debate needed about flu vaccine," Oct. 16, 2009).